Grave Mistakes
by NobodyAtAll
Summary: Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy support the Dark Lord in theory, but in serving him they continually incur his wrath. Will they survive this war with their family intact and unscathed? Begins mid-OotP, compliant w/ all books.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This story is basically a re-working of a previous story I've written. There will be new scenes, and the plot is slightly different. Plus, in my opinion, it's just better. Enjoy!  


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Narcissa Malfoy held her husband's arm as they Apparated to their home, landing just inside the gates. Trembling, she struggled to remain upright as Lucius hurried her indoors. Only a few steps more... She managed to make it to the entrance hall, but felt her knees buckling as the doors closed. Her husband's arm quickly reached out to steady her. She looked up at him gratefully, ready to sink into his awaiting embrace.

But there was no embrace. Instead, Lucius was looking down at her contemptuously. Narcissa began to pull back, but it was too late.

He grabbed her by the shoulders unmercifully. "Have you gone completely mad, Narcissa?" he snarled.

Startled by her husband's reaction, Narcissa could only stammer, "I... Lucius, I didn't..."

"You didn't what?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet. "You didn't think that the Dark Lord would mind?"

Narcissa's heart thudded wildly in her chest. "I didn't intend to..." She couldn't take another moment of his venomous gaze, and closed her eyes briefly. "...I was not disobeying him, I just wanted to voice the concern... that..." she trailed off, silenced by his expression.

Lucius's grip on her arms was steadily tightening. "The Dark Lord has much wiser and more informed advisors than you," he hissed.

Unable to bite her tongue, she retorted, "Who encourage the recruitment of children? What fools would approve of that?"

"Fools who stand at the side of the most powerful wizard in the world," he shot back.

Her emotions were running high, and she felt her cheeks flush. "Perhaps we are fools, to stand beside him."

Before she had time to process what was happening, her husband's hand flew at her cheek so hard that she nearly fell. Her own hand rose quickly to her face, holding the burning skin where he'd made contact. A sob rose in her throat, mostly from shock. Slowly, in silence, she lifted her eyes to look at him, and it took her that long to comprehend: he had struck her. Their stares locked for a moment.

Fearfully, she took several steps backward and started to turn for the stairs. Lucius lunged after her, trapping her arms as he pulled her close against himself. Narcissa desperately wanted to stop crying, but for the life of her she couldn't control the sobs that were building in her throat. Shaking, she hid her face against his robes, hoping to Merlin that he was finished reprimanding her.

Lucius kept his arms around her tightly, digging his fingers into her ribs. "Bloody hell, Cissa," he cursed, squeezing the breath out of her. She detected a slight quaver in his voice. He bent his head down over hers, resting his cheek on her hair. "I've seen execution for less."

Guilt swept over her, mixing with the plethora of emotions she already felt. Her trembling, mostly an after-effect of the Cruciatus Curse, was slowing, though her sobs weren't. She managed to free her arms enough to return his embrace.

When her weeping had finally reduced to a few tears, Narcissa turned her head slightly. The portrait of Abraxas Malfoy was glowering at her from the wall. Slightly unnerved, she closed her eyes and held on to her husband tighter. "Forgive me," she whispered.

After several long moments, when she was certain he hadn't heard her and was about to repeat herself, Lucius lifted his head. He slid his hands to the sides of her head, gently making her look at him. Judging by the look on his face, he was formulating exactly what to say.

"I would not want to live without you," he said quietly. He kept his gaze focused determinedly on her cheek, her nose, her chin, anywhere but her eyes. Narcissa felt more tears welling up, but fortunately Lucius hugged her again before they managed to spill down her cheeks.

The next morning, after staring at the ceiling for most of the night, the events of the previous evening still haunted Narcissa's mind. She glanced over at Lucius. He was finally sleeping. She turned over so she faced away from him.

_Narcissa's voice had cut off abruptly when she saw the look she was getting from the Dark Lord. Realizing that she'd gone too far, she bowed her head and stared at the ground._

"_It would seem that you've grown tired of following my orders," his voice hissed softly._

_Her throat clenched, but she forced out, "No my lord, I..." She trailed off, having no excuse._

_He took several menacing steps closer to her. "You know the penalty for disloyalty, Narcissa."_

"_No!" she exclaimed quickly, her eyes flying up. "My lord, I meant no disloyalty, truly, my lord..." She glanced desperately around at the others. Lucius seemed petrified, his haughty expression plastered onto his face in an effort to hide his fear. Her sister was unusually somber. Narcissa quickly returned her eyes to the ground. An unnatural chill swept over her._

"_Look at me."_

_She obeyed. His piercing gaze made her stomach churn, but she didn't dare look away. He lifted his wand, considering her. "Do you get away with this at home?" he asked mockingly._

_The other Death Eaters laughed nervously, with the exception of Lucius and Bellatrix._

_Unable to bear the tension, Narcissa dropped to her knees. "Forgive me, please, my lord," she begged. "I..."_

_The Dark Lord flicked his wand and suddenly she was lifted a meter off the ground, then slammed down flat onto her back. _

Narcissa felt her husband stir, and realized that she was shaking again. She closed her eyes, willing her body to be still, but it was too late. Lucius slipped an arm around her waist, scooting in close behind her. Silently cursing herself for waking him, she tried to relax. Despite this, the images continued to pervade her consciousness.

_The force of hitting the ground had completely knocked the breath out of her, and for a few moments she literally could not breathe. From the ground, she watched in dread as the Dark Lord turned to Lucius._

"_Your wife has lost faith in me."_

_Lucius shook his head slightly. "She merely spoke without thinking, my lord."_

_Voldemort cocked his head slightly. "Something you encourage, Lucius?" The others laughed again. Lucius remained silent, though his cheeks flushed. The snake-like figure gestured to Narcissa, inviting Lucius to step closer to her. "I'll allow you to handle your own problem, Lucius, but I insist you use my method." He paused for effect. "The Cruciatus Curse will be an excellent reminder that she should not question her master."_

_Terror filled Narcissa's heart. Would Lucius even be able to cast the spell against her? What would the Dark Lord do if he could not? Leaning back on her elbows, she looked up at her husband. A sheen of sweat was visible on his face._

_After gazing down at her for several long moments, Lucius turned to face his master. "I fear that my incantation will be useless against her, my lord."_

"_Try your best," the Dark Lord responded, dangerously congenial._

_Ignoring the snickers of his fellow Death Eaters, Lucius faced Narcissa again. She made eye-contact briefly, and he narrowed his eyes. She looked away, trembling. Finally, she heard him utter the incantation. "Crucio!"_

_A red flash hit her, and for a long moment she felt as if she were burning, but the effect wore off very quickly. She didn't bother looking up. "Crucio!" This time when the spell hit her, she felt her entire body contort as invisible flames consumed her. It wore off rather quickly again, but it was more than enough for her._

"_Crucio!" Narcissa flinched and expected to feel the fire again, but the voice had distinctively belonged to the Dark Lord, and she watched as her husband fell to his knees._

_He hunched over, twitching and moaning, and Narcissa thought she would be sick. What was likely only a minute felt like hours as she watched his torture. The Dark Lord seemed agitated. "I don't have time for this." He flicked his wand, and Narcissa found herself being yanked upward by her throat. Choking, she hovered a few inches off the ground before the Dark Lord. He glared into her eyes, watching her panic as she struggled for air. "Do not betray me, Narcissa Malfoy," he hissed. "Do not even think it, for I will know." Without further ado, she was flying backwards, landing hard on the ground once more. _

_The Dark Lord turned. "Take care of it, Bellatrix." With that, he held up a hand signaling the others to follow him, and strode into the next room. The others filed out without a second glance, leaving Lucius, Bellatrix, and Narcissa alone._

_Narcissa held her throat, gasping for breath. Lucius had risen, when Narcissa looked up he was staring at Bellatrix. Her sister had drawn her wand. Narcissa swallowed, feeling sick. Her sister was renowned for her special affinity for the Cruciatus Curse. The darker woman took several steps toward her, then glanced at Lucius, who also had his wand out. "Don't blame me," Bellatrix said to him, her voice low._

_Tears welled up in Narcissa's eyes as her older sister stood over her. Never in her life could she have predicted being in this position._

_A sudden blinding flash of red light stopped all her thoughts, and was quickly followed by all-consuming pain that seemed to begin deep within her body and rip through her. For what felt like hours, she screamed, shrieked, and cried, twitching and contorting uncontrollably. She felt her body twisting until she was sure that her spine would snap in half._

_When Narcissa opened her eyes finally, she saw Lucius roughly release her sister's arm. "Enough," he growled._

The arm around her waist tightened, and Narcissa felt a second arm trying to coax her into turning toward her husband. She gave in reluctantly, brushing the tears off her face first. Lucius looked into her eyes, his expression serious. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

Embarrassed, Narcissa nodded. He continued to study her. "Don't dwell on it."

She took a shaky breath. "It's... just a little difficult to forget, that's all."

He frowned slightly, and stroked back a few strands of her hair. "I don't expect you to forget it."

Narcissa looked away. A question burned on her tongue, but she was terribly afraid to ask it. "Do you think..." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "Do you think I've compromised your position? I mean, ...do you think I've put you out of favor?"

Lucius was silent for several moments. She could tell from his expression that he'd already thought of this. "Let us hope not," he replied eventually, agitated. He paused again. "We'll find out soon enough."

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Narcissa closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He said nothing, merely tucked her head under his chin. "Cissa," he said after a long silence, "I hope you only said those things because you were upset."

She opened her eyes, her body tensing slightly. The silence was baited, and she realized that he was waiting for her response. "Draco is only fifteen," she said slowly, choosing her words. "He is too young to be of any use to the Dark Lord."

Lucius looked at her. "I was only nineteen when I received the Mark."

"Four years makes a world of difference, Lucius," she responded.

Her husband considered her. "The Dark Lord is the most powerful wizard in the world. We would be fools not to side with him."

"Yes, I know," she said quietly, feeling anxious.

Lucius sat up, propping himself up on an elbow, and stared down at her, his expression something between surprise and suspicion. "Are you really having second thoughts?"

Narcissa bit her lip. She had always supported the Dark Lord, but only as long as he didn't hurt her family. Last night she had watched him torture her husband, and it had sickened her. Would life always be like this? Looking up at Lucius, however, she knew that she couldn't say these things. "I'm afraid," she told him simply and truthfully.

He seemed to accept this. Leaning down, he kissed her on the forehead. "Trust me," he said softly. "I won't let anything happen to you or Draco."

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_A/N: Reviews are very welcome!_

_A little bit about this story: It begins much like my first Lucius/Narcissa story, but it will be taking a few different twists and turns and hopefully have some sub-plots. Once this story has reached about the same point as the older story, "A Grave Mistake" will be taken down, and "Grave Mistakes" will be continued to the end. So if you read "A Grave Mistake," be sure to follow this story, because THIS is the one that's going to be continued!! _

_I hope that made sense. Feel free to PM me if you have questions. :)  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Enjoy!_

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Lucius had left for the Ministry much later than he should have, but Narcissa had not hurried him along as she did on many mornings. Now that he'd finally left, she had nothing to do but dwell on her worries. Having been brought up in proper wizarding society, Narcissa could not rid herself of the guilt she felt for questioning her husband; nevertheless, she was not about to blindly obey him. Lucius loved anything that brought him prestige and power, but she was not so sure that the Dark Lord was really giving him either of those things. After the fiasco last night, she couldn't help but wish that they had never become involved with all this.

A loud whoosh interrupted Narcissa's thoughts, and she jumped, spinning around to face the noise. The fire had turned a greenish color, and a flustered voice was muttering a variety of rude phrases. Eternally grateful that their chimneys were charmed so that only the family could floo in, she walked over to the fireplace. "Who is it?"

The voice was unmistakable. "Cissy, let me in this instant."

Sighing, Narcissa waved her wand over the fire. Her older sister came charging out, looking miffed, spilling ashes all over the rug. Narcissa chose not to say anything.

"You could charm it so that I'm allowed through; it happens often enough," Bellatrix pointed out.

Narcissa seated herself in an armchair. "I could, but I haven't."

The elder sister pouted for a moment, but recovered quickly. "Where's Lucius?" she asked.

"At the Ministry," Narcissa replied tersely, folding her hands in her lap.

Bellatrix plopped herself down on a loveseat. "You're a bit rumpled today," she observed, referencing that Narcissa still had on her dressing gown at three in the afternoon, and the long hair that was usually twisted into an elegant style was hanging loose. Narcissa did not respond, choosing instead to brush something off her knee. "Surprised you even let me in, like that. Probably should get dressed before Lucius gets home; he won't be too happy."

Irritated, Narcissa cut in. "What do you want, Bella?"

Her older sister sighed, as though Narcissa was a spoilsport. "I just wanted to check on you."

Narcissa looked away. The last thing she needed right now was Bellatrix checking on her. "I'm fine."

In her curious manner, Bellatrix knelt down on the floor at Narcissa's feet, trying to look into her eyes. "You sure, Cissy?" She rested her arms casually on Narcissa's knees.

Unable to avoid her, Narcissa sighed heavily. "What do you want me to say? Of course I'm not perfect, the Dark Lord's punishment had the effect he wished it to have."

"You shouldn't be thinking those things, let alone saying them," Bella said sternly, referencing her outburst the night before..

Narcissa resisted the urge to raise her voice. "I'm quite aware, thank you."

"It's not that often that the Dark Lord requests your presence; you've got to make a good impression with the opportunities you're given."

"I wish he wouldn't request my presence," Narcissa responded.

Bellatrix's eyes widened. "Why do you say that?"

Because I want to be as far away from him as possible, she thought. She shook her head, trying to think of how to explain this to Bella without sounding disloyal. "There is a reason the Dark Lord has never marked me as one of his Death Eaters. We both know that combat has never been my forte," she said carefully. "Nor has bravery been one of my strong points."

Her older sister rolled her eyes. "So the Dark Lord scares you. Big deal, Cissy, he scares everyone."

"I didn't expect you to understand," Narcissa said, trying to get up.

Bellatrix pushed her back down. "Listen to me," she insisted, grabbing Narcissa's hands. "You need to pull yourself together. I don't particularly enjoy torturing my baby sister."

Narcissa took this in silently, staring at their hands. She could feel herself getting upset, and took several deep breaths before speaking again. "I'm trying," she whispered, afraid to use her voice. She swallowed, then glanced at Bella, whose dark eyes were considering her thoughtfully. Hesitantly, Narcissa asked, "Bella... how were you able to curse me, when Lucius could not?"

She raised her eyebrows slightly. "Question of loyalty, I imagine."

"Are you saying Lucius is disloyal?" Narcissa asked angrily.

Bellatrix was not flustered by her anger. "Maybe 'trust' is a better word for it. What it all boils down to, though, is Lucius didn't mean it, and I did."

Narcissa felt cold. "I don't understand."

With a heavy sigh and an eye roll, she explained, "The Dark Lord sentenced you to punishment as he saw fit. Lucius did not agree with the punishment. He did not want to hurt you. I, on the other hand, trusted the Dark Lord's judgment. He felt that you should suffer, and so I carried out his wishes."

Taking this in, Narcissa pulled her hands away. "And what if he told you to kill me?"

"He didn't, did he?" she replied, nonchalant.

"Bella!" she cried incredulously.

Her older sister shrugged. "What? Are you planning on angering him? I think not, especially after last night."

"That's not the point! If he ever did order my death, you would just blindly follow orders?" Narcissa stood, unable to sit still any longer.

Bellatrix stood as well, now looking somewhat perturbed. "The Dark Lord," she said, "would not give an order unjustly." Her eyes flashed dangerously, and Narcissa knew the discussion was over.

Bellatrix knew Narcissa better than the latter would have liked to admit. For her husband's benefit and nothing more, Cissa had changed into a flattering knee-length skirt and a blouse before he got home, and pinned her hair up into an elegant twist.

She was now seated in a leather armchair in his study, sipping a glass of wine. Lucius had arrived home a few hours ago, and was now finishing up some "important correspondence," so he claimed. Glancing at him over his desk, he seemed to be faltering in concentration. Tired of the silence, she took the opportunity. "How did you explain your lateness this afternoon?" she asked.

Lucius looked up. "To those who did not ask, I said nothing. To those who did ask, I said that you hadn't been feeling well, and I felt it best that I remain at home until you were improved." He put down his quill. "Of course, when Fudge heard this, he had to inquire if there was another Malfoy on the way," he told her, clearly irritated. "He never could mind his own business, that one."

Narcissa smiled wryly, and Lucius resumed writing. The thought of another child, with she and Lucius at 41 and 42 years of age, respectively, bordered on ridiculous. Fudge could be quite the idiot.

She turned her focus to the crackling fireplace, watching the flames pop and twist. Impatient for Lucius to finish, she glanced back over at him. He was rubbing his temple, looking exhausted. Narcissa rose, leaving her glass on an end table, and walked slowly around to his side of the desk. Lucius ignored her until she leaned casually against the edge of the desk, blocking him from his inkwell.

He reluctantly turned his gaze upward. "What is it, Narcissa?" he asked with a sigh.

"You're exhausted," she stated with some concern.

Lucius raised his eyebrows. "Yes, I am. All the more reason to finish up this letter quickly," he said, trying half-heartedly to reach around her for his ink.

"But can't it wait till morning?" she asked, moving her focus to the letter, which he matter-of-factly turned over so that she couldn't read it. "You should really come to bed, darling," she continued.

He gave her a strange look, as if she'd gone a little bit loony. "Go to bed at nine o' clock?"

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Narcissa sighed dramatically and looked at the floor. "Of course, if you don't want to..." she let her voice trail off.

Comprehension suddenly dawned on his face, and he quickly reached out and took one of her hands. She smiled down at him as he pressed a soft kiss against her knuckles. "You're subtle as ever, my dear," he congratulated her, releasing her hand. "But this letter is very important..."

He trailed off as she moved her hand to his cheek, threading her fingers through his hair. For a moment he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again he stood up. Leaning in, he kissed her gently and slowly, lingering near her lips even after they'd opened their eyes. Narcissa smiled again, brushing her nose against his affectionately. Lucius returned her smile, sliding his hands to her waist. "Narcissa," he said in a serious voice that didn't match his expression, "If you continue to be this distracting, I'll have to ask you to leave."

With another smile and a sigh, Narcissa bowed her head in defeat. Lucius released her, and moved back to his chair. Returning to her wine glass, she took another sip and sat down. Her husband had returned to his work newly energized, and swiftly scratched the last few lines onto the parchment. She watched as he folded and sealed the letter, then rose and went to his owl by the window. For a moment, he fumbled in his pocket, then pulled out his wand and flicked it ever so slightly. Confused, she watched as he handed the letter to the owl, but did not hear him declare the addressee before the bird flew away with the parchment in its beak.

He turned back to her, pocketing his wand. "Now," he said silkily, approaching her, "what to do with you."

Narcissa began to rise. "Perhaps you could take me upstairs," she suggested.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Oh no, I don't think so," he said conversationally, placing his other hand on the arm of the chair before leaning down to kiss her.

After a few moments, she drew back. "Not upstairs?"

Lucius shook his head slightly, drawing out his wand again. This time he touched it to the chair and muttered an incantation. Narcissa was only puzzled for a moment, until the chair had transfigured into a spacious settee. "Too long of a walk," he explained with a little smirk as he put the wand back in his pocket. "And Apparating... well that just spoils the mood, doesn't it?"

Lucius seated himself beside her, and Narcissa couldn't stop herself from pulling him immediately into a tender but passionate kiss. He obliged her, and at the same time began unbuttoning her blouse. Narcissa fumbled as best she could with all the buttons and fasteners on her husband's robes, wishing as she often did in these situations that he would just wear a suit. It didn't help that her hands were shaking ever so slightly, which worsened when Lucius moved his lips down to her throat. When she'd finally sufficiently opened his robes, he gently guided her down onto her back, kissing down her front until he reached her belly.

She closed her eyes, intoxicated with his closeness. Lucius kissed her cheeks and nose, and she kissed him as well, though he seemed determined to avoid her mouth. Trying to control herself, she slid her arms around him, pulling him down closer. Though she was ashamed to admit it, ever since he had left this morning she had missed him, impatiently awaiting these few minutes of oneness. And now she was so close to getting what she desired... Narcissa pressed her hands against his back, urging him to take her...

Lucius lifted his face to look at her, and she opened her eyes. He kissed her softly. "Rushing it a bit, don't you think?" he asked, his voice quiet and husky.

"Sorry," she whispered with some embarrassment, hiding her disappointment.

Her face must have fallen, though, because he kissed her again and murmured, "Whatever you want, darling, really."

Narcissa smiled faintly at that, but just as quickly her smile was gone. Lucius had tensed, and pulled away from her a bit. She sat up, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Lucius, what is it?"

His expression was one of frustration and disappointment as he held up his left arm, indicating his Mark. Narcissa's heart sank, and an anxious knot formed in her stomach. Her husband sat up, taking a moment to compose himself, then tipped her head forward gently and placed a kiss on her brow.

"I'm sorry, Cissa," he said unhappily, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "I don't really have a choice." He looked her up and down once, clearly dismayed, before standing. Pulling his clothes together for decency's sake, he transfigured his current robes into his Death Eater robes. While Narcissa absently pulled her clothes together, he summoned his mask and began walking for the door.

Cissa jumped up, following him. "Lucius!"

He glanced at her as he headed for the front door of the Manor. "Believe me, I would love to stay and finish what we started, but..."

Narcissa caught his arm, and he paused only long enough to kiss her on the cheek before whisking out the door. "Please be careful," she requested anxiously.

Lucius gave her a little nod, and then he Disapparated.

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_A/N: Don't forget to leave a review! I especially would like to know what people think of this new rendition vs. the older story! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thank you so much to those who have reviewed! Remember, reviews make the chapters come faster! ;D

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Lucius never knew what to expect when he Apparated to his master's side, and so he looked around cautiously once he'd arrived. With a bit of surprise, he realized that he was alone with the Dark Lord, in the same abandoned house as their last meeting.

"My lord," he said respectfully, bowing slightly.

The Dark Lord was seated in an armchair several feet away. "Why the delay, Lucius?"

Inside his head, Lucius was annoyed at that question, for he thought he'd left almost too quickly. Keeping his expression neutral, though, he replied, "Forgive me, my lord, ...it took me a few moments before I could get away."

"That is, by definition, a delay, but not the answer to my question."

Lucius flushed slightly. "I... had to get dressed, my lord."

The Dark Lord looked directly into his eyes, and before Lucius realized it, he was looking into his thoughts, seeing Narcissa lying half-naked beneath him... Lucius quickly blocked the rest of the memory, but it was too late. The Dark Lord gave him a smug look. "I didn't realize I was interrupting," he said with mock sympathy.

Lucius said nothing.

"I'm surprised you have time for such things, with such an important mission at hand." The Dark Lord stood, taking several steps toward him. "Distractions will not be tolerated, Lucius."

Lucius's stomach jumped. "I have made several contacts in the Ministry who have given important information, my lord. Just this evening I was in correspondence with one of them," he assured his master quickly, intensely relieved that he had chosen to finish the letter before giving in to Narcissa's invitation.

His master circled him. "Is that so?" He stopped directly in front of his servant. "It is vital that I have that prophecy. I should hope that you are putting forth your very best effort."

Lucius inclined his head. "Of course, my lord."

"It will not bode well for your family if you fail me again, Lucius. The diary lost, and now your wife making traitorous outbursts..."

"My lord," Lucius said speedily, "Narcissa is intensely loyal, I assure you. She let her maternal instincts overcome her; she was not thinking."

The Dark Lord sneered. "She is weak. Those who are weak are easily swayed."

"All the more reason that she won't soon forget the consequences of her momentary lapse in judgment," Lucius pleaded.

His master considered him for a long moment. "Very well, Lucius. She is your problem, after all. I trust you will ensure that no such disloyalty occurs again." Lucius swallowed and nodded. "And if I discover that she is keeping you from your work, I will remove the distraction."

Lucius flinched. "My lord..."

"Do you understand?" the Dark Lord cut him off.

Adrenaline pumping, Lucius clenched his fists at his sides and forced himself to nod.

"Good." The serpentine man returned to his chair and said curtly, "Go."

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Lucius stopped in the foyer to transfigure his robes back to their original form. His entire body was pulsating with the need to see Narcissa, to hold her tightly against him and never let go, but a sinister, sly little voice in his head warned him that he had better get back to work. It took every bit of willpower he had to Apparate to his study. When he entered, though, he found that his owl had not yet returned. At an impasse until he received a response, Lucius decided to abandon his work for the moment.

"Sukey," he said sharply, and with a 'crack!', a little house elf appeared at his side.

"How can Sukey serve my master?" she asked immediately.

"Where is Narcissa?" he asked, intent on finding her as quickly as possible.

"Mistress was in your bedchamber, when Sukey was last seeing her," replied the little creature.

Lucius moved for the door. "That will be all," he said curtly, hurrying up the stairs. Throwing open the door to their bedchamber, he burst into the room.

His wife, who was sitting at her vanity, jumped at the sudden noise. "Lucius!" she exclaimed, turning quickly when she saw his reflection. Before she had a chance to say anything else, he strode over to her purposefully and pulled her up into his arms. Narcissa was only too happy to comply, though she seemed a bit stunned. "That was a quick meeting," she commented, her voice slightly muffled in his robes.

Lucius did not reply. He did not want to think about the meeting, about the terrible ultimatum the Dark Lord had made.

After several minutes, Narcissa finally pulled back, looking at him with concern. "What's wrong?"

He could not say it. Stifling his emotions, Lucius tried to hug her close again, but she held back. "Tell me," she insisted, her voice quiet.

Instead, he kissed her, passionately, and laid her down on their bed.

Later, when they lay under the covers together, Narcissa finally broke the comfortable silence. "What happened, Lucius?"

"Don't," he said quietly.

She propped herself up on an elbow. "Why? Tell me," she demanded.

He tried to pull her back down, but she would not yield. "Cissa..."

"I won't sleep for a single minute if you don't tell me," Narcissa told him plaintively.

"Well then it makes no difference," Lucius retorted, "because you won't sleep once I tell you, either."

The knot in her stomach tightened. "If it makes no difference, then just tell me," she said softly, lowering herself down again. "Please," she added.

Wrapping a protective arm around her, Lucius let out a slow breath. Then he told her of the Dark Lord's expectation that she never utter a traitorous word again, and of his threat, if the Dark Lord felt that Lucius was slipping.

Narcissa was silent for a long space, then said slowly, "He'll kill me if I distract you?" Lucius nodded. "But...what has that got to do with what happened last night?"

Lucius's expression turned sour for a moment. "Nothing," he answered. "The Dark Lord read my mind, just for a moment, and saw that I was with you just before I'd left." Lucius chose not to mention that by "was with you" he meant "was about to make love to you."

"But I'm your wife! What does he expect? Of course you were with me!" she exclaimed fervidly.

Lucius shushed her. "I don't know, Narcissa, but I suggest that you accept his word as law, and behave accordingly."

He sat up, grabbed his wand from off the bedside table, and summoned his robe. Narcissa sat up as well. "What are you doing?" she asked as he got out of bed.

Cinching the soft fabric around his waist, Lucius replied, "Need to go finish some things." Narcissa moved to get up, but he shook his head. "Go to sleep," he told her firmly. He hated to leave her side, but he was also afraid that if he did not work speedily enough, the Dark Lord might make good on his threat. He headed for the door.

Narcissa practically leaped out of the bed, pulling a blanket with her. She grabbed onto him. "Don't leave me alone," she pleaded. Her normally pale skin had gone several shades whiter.

He whole-heartedly wished he could acquiesce, but... "No," he said sternly, trying to pull away. "I have to go take care of something."

Her grip tightened. "I'll come sit with you," she begged. "I'll keep you company."

Knowing that she would prove far too distracting if she did that, he shook his head. "Narcissa, _no_." He managed to pull her off of him, and held her at arm's length. "I won't be able to concentrate with you there, not tonight." He went on, "The Dark Lord made it quite clear that I'm to keep you under control; I imagine it would serve all of our interests if you would obey me."

For a moment, Lucius thought she was going to argue, but she lowered her gaze to the floor, subdued. He looked down at her, taking in the white skin covered haphazardly with the blanket. Realizing that she was shivering, he sighed and wrapped the cover around her more snugly. "I won't be long," he reassured her quietly, rubbing her back.

Without moving, Narcissa asked softly, "What are you working on?"

Lucius froze. His mission was of the utmost importance, and secrecy was crucial. Narcissa was in enough trouble already, he couldn't risk her accidentally letting something slip to the wrong person. Besides, she wouldn't be happy if she heard what they intended to do. So what could he tell her? "Something for the Dark Lord," he told her unhelpfully.

"Obviously, Lucius," she said, looking up. "What is it that you are doing for the Dark Lord?"

He couldn't budge on this issue. "You don't need to know."

"I want to know what's so important," she stated. "I want to know what is so important that I may die for it."

"I can't tell you," he said simply.

Narcissa was not giving up. "Are those your orders? Are you forbidden to tell me?"

Lucius felt guilty for a moment, but pushed it aside. "Can't you trust my judgment?"

"So you're _not_ forbidden to tell me."

"No," he admitted, starting to get somewhat annoyed. "But I've made my own decision."

His wife was upset. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Because, the less you know, the better."

"What do you mean by that?"she demanded, clearly offended.

"Let it go, Narcissa."

"I can't even know what it is I may die for?"

He ignored her and turned to leave. Narcissa followed, moving into his path and blocking the door. "Tell me!" she insisted angrily, now in tears. "What is it that you're prepared to let me die for?"

Without thinking, Lucius grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back against the door."What is _wrong_ with you?" he demanded furiously, speaking through clenched teeth. "Let" her die? Had he not made it perfectly clear that nothing of the sort would happen as long as he was still breathing?

She grimaced in pain, looking up at him defiantly. "Going to beat me, Lucius?"

He suddenly realized that he was gripping her shoulders much tighter than he'd realized, and that he was crushing her against the door. His faced flushed with guilt, and he loosened his grip slightly. He was about to apologize, (something he rarely did), when Narcissa muttered, "Have to keep up family tradition, I suppose."

Lucius's grip unconsciously tightened again. "What did you say?" he hissed dangerously.

Narcissa's face, though streaked with tears, had a rather nasty expression. "I was just reminded of your father, that's all."

All thought of the Dark Lord and his mission went completely out of Lucius's head. Lucius had no particular love for his deceased father, and did not take kindly to being compared. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said haughtily.

His wife was a little bit frightened, he could tell, but she went ahead and said it anyway. "Oh come now, Lucius, your mother wasn't _that_ clumsy."

His mother... his poor, dear mother who had thought she hid it so well... In all their years of marriage, Narcissa had never touched upon this subject with Lucius; in fact, he had suspected that she did not know. Apparently, he was wrong. "You will not speak of my parents so disrespectfully," he declared.

"It's not disrespect to point out the truth," Narcissa replied simply, though she was a bit less sure of herself.

Lucius felt his arms trembling. Merlin, he just wanted to shake her! If he wasn't careful, he was going to lose control, and then they'd both be sorry... Pulling her away from the door, Lucius yanked her across the room. He resisted the urge to shove her, and sat her roughly down on the bed. "Go to sleep, Narcissa," he ordered, grabbing her nightgown off the floor and shoving it into her hands.

She was silent, and Lucius knew she was holding back tears. He felt badly for the way the conversation had turned, but every moment he spent fighting with her, comforting her, worrying about her... it was all time that he should have been downstairs, working. It all boiled down to Narcissa's life held in the balance, and as long as she was alive, there was time to apologize later.

Lucius reached out to touch her shoulder, but she pulled away with a sniff. He was not forgiven. She was just going to have to be angry, though, because he had to go check if his owl was back yet.

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_A/N: So there you have it. Reviews are the nectar of life! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Here's the next chapter! Thanks to all who have reviewed! To those of you who read the old story, some of this might seem familiar. :) Enjoy!

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"Father!" Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway of Severus Snape's office, looking quite surprised.

Lucius rose from his seat when his son entered the room. "Draco," he greeted him, as warmly as was appropriate. The young man glanced quickly at Snape, who was seated at his desk, and seemed to assess the situation. "Thank you, Severus," Lucius addressed the potions master. "If you have no objection, Draco and I shall take a turn about the grounds?"

Snape nodded his assent, and the two Malfoys swept out of the room. After Draco stopped quickly into his dormitory to fetch his coat and scarf, they headed outdoors.

Lucius intended to remain silent until they were well away from the castle, but his son apparently could not wait that long. "Is something wrong, Father?"

"Everything is fine," Lucius reassured him.

"Mother is well?"

Narcissa was still angry with Lucius, but he doubted if that affected her health. "She's quite well," he said smoothly, surveying their surroundings surreptitiously. No other students seemed to be outside, but then it was a week night. A thin layer of snow covered the grounds, and it was nearing sunset. He glanced over at his son, and found Draco studying him with a look of slight concern. Lucius suspected that his son feared that he'd gotten wind of whatever mischief the boy had been up to recently. Smiling slightly to himself, Lucius trained his eyes on the path ahead. "How are your classes?" he asked amiably.

"Good," Draco answered quickly, a little too quickly.

"Getting top marks, I hope," Lucius commented, displeased with his son's reaction to the previous question. Couldn't hurt to make the boy squirm a little; perhaps it would make him work harder.

Draco did not answer, and Lucius let it go. Recalling his son's slightly rumpled appearance when he had arrived in Snape's office, Lucius remarked, "Forgot to comb your hair this morning?"

His son's cheeks flushed slightly. "No," he replied, "I was just, uh, napping, just before I was called down."

Lucius knew his son better than to believe this story, for the young man had seemed very awake when he'd first seen him. Quite energized, actually. He was almost certain that hair only became ruffled as Draco's had been when someone's hands had been running through it for a while, and not in a calm manner. "Still seeing the Parkinson girl?"

Now very red in the face, Draco answered, somewhat embarrassedly, "Yeah."

Although he enjoyed making sure his son knew just how little he could get away with, Lucius decided he had better get to why he was here. The sun would soon be going down. He put an arm around the young man's shoulders and spoke, keeping his voice low. "Draco, a few days ago we met with _Him_," he said pointedly, not daring to be more open while on Hogwarts grounds. From Draco's expression, it was clear that he understood. "He mentioned briefly that in the near future he may request the service of the younger generation," Lucius continued.

Draco looked up at his father hopefully. "You would let me, wouldn't you, Father? I'm better than any of the others!" he boasted excitedly, referring to the children of the other Death Eaters.

"I should hope you are," Lucius replied. "Your mother is not too keen on your becoming involved," he went on, and Draco opened his mouth to argue. "_However_, I'm sure that she can be persuaded."

"You approve, then?" Draco asked, very pleased.

Lucius hesitated to give that much, just yet. "We shall see," he answered. "Part of my reason for coming was to determine if He had contacted you already." Secretly, Lucius was relieved that the Dark Lord had not bypassed him and gone directly to his son, or used someone else to pass the message to him.

Draco shook his head. He was clearly bursting to ask more questions, but Lucius spoke before he had the chance. "You must not speak of this to anyone, Draco, do you understand?" His son nodded, but Lucius repeated, "No one. Not Vincent, not Gregory, especially not Parkinson," he added disdainfully. "What's her name?"

"Pansy," his son told him, a little discomfited.

"Right," Lucius acknowledged off-handedly. "Women talk, Draco. Never tell them anything unless you want the entire world to know." The young man smirked slightly. Lucius sobered a bit. "If you are contacted, you will immediately owl me," he instructed firmly. "If for some reason you cannot reach me or your mother, which, I can't imagine why that would be, but if the situation did arise, I would expect you to tell Professor Snape."

They had reached a split in the path, and Lucius chose the one that looped back up toward the school. Draco seemed immensely pleased with the news he had brought him, and Lucius was glad to see that the boy wasn't shrinking away from his duty.

"Father," Draco began inquisitively, "Is it true that the Dark Lord's forces..."

Lucius immediately hushed him, cutting him off. "For Merlin's sake, Draco, use a bit of discretion!" he berated him in a restrained voice.

The younger man was appropriately chagrined. "Sorry, sir," he apologized. "But... is it true that... his group is growing?" He seemed afraid to speak, afraid that Lucius would reprimand him again. "I read in the Prophet about..." Draco lowered his voice to a whisper, "...about the breakout. Have they joined him, then?"

Lucius had nearly forgotten that his son had been in school during and ever since the mass breakout from Azkaban. "I believe so," he answered carefully. "I assume you noticed that your aunt and uncle were among them?"

"Of course," Draco nodded. "Didn't you tell me she was a bit of a nutter?"

Lucius winced inwardly. He had honestly never expected to see Bellatrix again, or he would not have said that in front of his son. "I wouldn't mention that to her, if I were you."

His son's eyes widened slightly. "Then you've seen them?"

The boy was asking too many questions, and Lucius had just about had enough. "We're bound to eventually," he lied. He did not need Draco going about the school telling everyone that his father was fraternizing with wanted criminals.

Bellatrix had been a school chum of his, but the woman was barking mad these days, in Lucius's opinion. But she was Narcissa's only remaining sister (since Andy had betrayed them all those years ago), and his wife was somewhat fond of her. "You should forget that I called her that, Draco," Lucius instructed firmly, "She is your aunt, and your mother would not be pleased to hear us insult her."

Draco voiced his understanding, and Lucius became silent. Mention of Narcissa only made him uncomfortable – she was at once a source of anxiety and vexation, and Lucius did not want to be plagued by either feeling.

"I've joined the Inquisitorial Squad," Draco piped up, interrupting the silence.

Lucius pursed his lips. "Is that so?" he drawled, as they headed back up toward the castle.

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Narcissa had been pacing the halls of the Manor all afternoon, not at all pleased that her husband had disappeared without even saying farewell. It came as no surprise though, since they had not been on good terms for several days, now.

She was livid that Lucius would not tell her what he was up to. Of course, she had never been told directly what the Death Eaters did on their missions for the Dark Lord, but almost fifteen years of his absence had made Narcissa fully appreciate knowing exactly what her family was doing at all times. She had no desire to return to those days when Lucius would disappear for sometimes weeks at a time, leaving her alone to worry that he might never return.

Relief, quickly followed by annoyance, coursed through her when Lucius swept through the door at nearly ten o'clock. By the time she got down the stairs, he had given his heavy cloak and gloves to Sukey and the little elf had disappeared.

"How very kind of you to return," Narcissa greeted him darkly.

Lucius chose to ignore her huffiness and kissed her forehead. "How are you?"

"I've been worried all day," she answered reproachfully. She would have liked to slap him, but of course that was not acceptable behavior for a pureblooded witch of her status.

Her husband did not seem perturbed. "I'm sorry to have troubled you," he said lightly, heading toward the parlor.

Narcissa followed, fuming. Lucius paid her no mind, seating himself in a chair and picking up the Daily Prophet off the end table. She sat on the love seat opposite, cursing the day she fell for this man. "May I ask," she began through clenched teeth, "where you have been all day?"

Lucius lowered the newspaper slightly to look at her. Just then, Sukey appeared with a tea tray, clattering it slightly as she sat it on the low table between the two. Irritated, Narcissa snapped, "Be careful, would you?"

The elf bobbed a quick curtsy, looking terrified. "Forgive me, mistress!" she squeaked, then disappeared.

Narcissa felt herself blushing when she realized how Lucius was staring at her, as if she had just done something fantastically amusing. Well, he yelled at the house elves all the time, why was it such a crime if she lost her temper? Still, she was a witch of good breeding, and should not have lost control like that. Ignoring his stare, she moved to pour the tea.

"Since you must know," she heard him say, and she could tell he was still smirking, "I made the long journey out to Hogwarts this afternoon, to check up on our son."

With a rattle, she sat the teapot down rather suddenly, looking up at Lucius. "You visited Draco at school, without me?" she reiterated, as disappointment flooded her.

"Narcissa," Lucius replied in a very placating tone, "I needed to discuss the Dark Lord – "

"So he _is_ recruiting him!" she cried, cutting him off.

Her husband finally showed some annoyance. "No, he isn't, Narcissa, if you would let me speak. I went to make sure that the Dark Lord hadn't contacted him through someone else, and he hasn't. That should make you and your nerves ceaselessly happy."

Narcissa took this in, relieved at the news, but irked at Lucius and his attitude. "Why did you go without me?"

"Because," he explained impatiently, "I needed to speak to him privately. Besides, we don't need the rumors going around that Draco had an unprecedented visit from both of his parents. What would we say, that we happened to be in town?"

She was not accepting this. Jealousy was overtaking all other emotions. "But you couldn't even tell me that you were going, so that I could send along a note or some sweets?"

Lucius spread his hands. "You could owl him those things!"

"It's not the same," she retorted, going on bitterly, "Didn't even bother to say 'Mother sends her love,' did you?"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, the boy knows you love him!" he bellowed, throwing down the paper.

Furious, Narcissa stood and left the room, unable to stand the sight of him any longer.

For several weeks, it went on like this. Lucius would disappear at strange hours, and give her very little explanation when he finally returned. Narcissa was dying to know what he was doing, but he gave her no opportunity to ask about it, and if she asked when unprompted, he became incredibly cross with her. "My directives from the Dark Lord have never been any of your business, Narcissa. Why should that suddenly change?" he said to her when she was exceptionally persistent. In addition to all this, he had developed the irritating habit of ordering her to "go help Sukey make supper, or find something useful to do" whenever he tired of her presence. (This, she felt, was exceptionally rude and un-called-for; suggesting that a witch of her breeding would cook for herself!) Not that it mattered about supper, because he hadn't been at home to eat at the usual time for almost a week.

Finally, though, there came an evening when Lucius was actually home at supper-time and they could dine together. Not surprisingly, it took all of three minutes for them to get on each others nerves. It was miraculous, really, the way a simple "how was your day?" could spark a conflict.

"You could respond with more than just 'fine;' _that_ might make me happy," Narcissa replied to her husband's rhetorical question.

Lucius regarded her calmly. "There are no more words to describe it," he said simply.

"Very well then. Since you will not elaborate on the quality of your day, we will sit here in silence, since I clearly may not ask you what you _did_ today."

Her husband sighed. "I met with your sister today, if you must know."

Narcissa glanced up at him, surprised that she was getting any explanation at all. "Really. Why?"

"Now _that's_ the part you can't know," he told her with a neutral expression, though Narcissa was certain she could detect a pompous smirk showing through.

She put down her silverware noisily, sighing in aggravation, and reached for her glass of wine. "Honestly, Lucius, you're enough to drive a witch to distraction," she said, frowning.

"Or to drink, apparently," he commented smoothly. In mid-sip, Narcissa glared at him over top of her glass, and then downed the entire thing. She was about to ask him how it felt to be replaced by a bottle of wine, when he suddenly winced and grabbed his arm.

Narcissa shook her head – this was exactly how she'd expected the meal to end. "Doesn't the Dark Lord ever have supper? Is he not human enough to recognize proper mealtimes? Of course not," she muttered bitterly.

Lucius remained cool, despite her hostility, and rose from the table. As he moved around his chair, he drew his wand and muttered a spell. Immediately, Narcissa's chair pulled away from the table and swiveled to face him. Placing a hand on either arm of the chair, he leaned down so that his face was directly in front of hers. "I suggest you get your attitude in order. Hmm?" he said calmly, staring her down. Narcissa's eyes were brimming with tears despite her best efforts, and so she looked away. Apparently satisfied with this, he cupped her cheek gently for a moment before leaving the room.

Trembling with anger, Narcissa stared at her lap. This was ridiculous. If Lucius didn't want her to know what he was doing, he could at least do a better job of hiding it so she wouldn't have to worry! It was as though he was doing this on purpose, just to drive her mad! Well, she'd had enough. When he got home, she would demand to know... but Narcissa knew that it would get her nowhere. Seething, she slammed her hand on the table, making the dishes clatter.

Immediately, their house elf appeared beside her. "Can Sukey help Mistress with anything?" the little creature asked, clearly a bit frightened of Narcissa.

She looked down at the elf, her face flushed and eyes wet. Narcissa nearly dismissed her without thinking, but then said slowly, "Yes, Sukey... ...bring me the rest of this bottle." She held up her glass to indicate what she meant.

Sukey seemed anxious. "Master is not liking it when Mistress drinks too much..."

"Do it now!" she shrieked at the creature, no longer even slightly controlling her rage. The elf scurried back into the kitchen, and returned quickly with the bottle.

"Mistress," Sukey squeaked as she handed the wine to Narcissa, "You are knowing that Master becomes angry when Mistress does this..."

Narcissa ignored her warning and poured herself another glass. "Yes, well "_Master_" isn't here, is he?"

The little elf lowered her eyes and sadly left the room.

Ignoring the little creature, or at least trying to, she drank down another glass. What else could she do? Everything was spiraling out of her control, and there was _nothing_ she could do about it. The tears that streamed down her cheeks burned with frustration and shame. _She_ was the mistress of this house, yet she no longer had control of it! Lucius would sooner tell his darkest secrets to Bellatrix than his own wife! To _Bellatrix_, who had only been free from Azkaban for a month, if that!

This was ridiculous. Lucius was _her_ husband. This was _her_ home. She had a right to know what was going on, especially since it was happening right under her nose!

The grandfather clock chimed, startling Narcissa. Eight o'clock. Who knew what time Lucius would be home? Usually he didn't reappear until at least eleven or twelve. _Off getting himself into Merlin knows what_, she thought bitterly, a_nd all I can do is wait for the bad news._

Or ...could she? He wouldn't be back for quite a while. There was plenty of time to get into his study... but that was madness. If Lucius found out that she'd been snooping around his private things, he'd be furious. He'd be worse than furious. He'd be absolutely livid. ..._Oh, grow a spine, Cissy!_ she thought to herself. He didn't need to know. There would be no reason to tell him. Besides, she had every right to know what he was hiding from her in there. It was _her_ life on the line!

Knowing that if she didn't do this right away she'd never get the courage again, Narcissa rose from the table and walked bravely toward his study. With each step her heart raced faster. She drew her wand from her pocket and stopped in front of the door, trembling slightly with adrenaline. "I have to know," she breathed aloud, clenching her jaw. She raised her wand, pointing it at the lock, and froze there for several seconds. "_Alohomora_," she whispered finally.

The lock sparked, and the door fell slightly open. With a sick feeling in her stomach, she entered the room.

For a moment she looked around. His owl was not on its perch – _probably out delivering some secret messages_, she thought bitterly. With more confidence, she walked over to his desk, surveying the immaculate top. There wasn't a single piece of parchment there. Unperturbed, she opened the top drawer, only to find various inks and quills, and continued on to the next drawer, in which she found a lot of paperwork regarding the Ministry, their Gringotts vault, and their taxes, but nothing about the Dark Lord whatsoever. A bit nervous now, she opened the bottom drawer and went through every single roll of parchment, finding nothing about which she either cared or was ignorant.

Feeling sick, foolish, and slightly woozy, she leaned back in his leather chair. Of course Lucius didn't keep his important, secret documents about the Dark Lord in his desk. He wasn't _that_ naïve. He either had a secret hiding place for his documents, (which she could look for all night and still never find), or he destroyed the documents as soon as he read them. Narcissa closed her eyes as tears began to swell.

A sudden fluttering behind her made her eyes fly open. Turning quickly, she saw that Lucius's owl had returned and was sitting on the windowsill... with a letter. With her heart suddenly pounding once again, she stood and approached the bird apprehensively. It watched her with piercing yellow eyes, holding the envelope in its beak. She reached out her hand and took hold of the letter, staring at the owl. For a few long moments, it stared at her, not letting go of the envelope. Then, deciding that she was the next best thing to Lucius, it released the letter and flew over to its perch.

Narcissa stared at the letter in her hand for a moment. She shouldn't open it. He'd know. ...But it was sealed with wax. She could easily un-seal it, then re-seal it. He'd never have to know. Then, without thinking any further, she opened the envelope and took out the parchment.

_Lucius,_

_I think the best bet to get the prophecy is Broderick Bode. He is an Unspeakable. I have given the Dark Lord my assurance that this plan will work, and He has given his approval. You are free to proceed as planned. Keep an eye out, though – we've got intelligence that Dumbledore's people are keeping watch._

_-Avery_

Narcissa read the letter slowly, realizing what it meant. Then, to her horror, the parchment dissolved into ashes in her hands.

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_A/N: Don't forget to review!! :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thank you everyone for your patience! _

_As I always seem to do, I messed up the canon again. So, I went back and changed what the super-top-secret letter had said, slightly. I always get these Death Eaters mixed up..._

_Anywho, here is the next installment! Enjoy!_

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This simply couldn't be happening.

The letter had destroyed itself as soon as she'd finished reading it. There was nothing left but the little bit of ash that had fallen into her lap.

Narcissa stared down at the letter's remains, paralyzed. There was no hiding it, now. She had broken into Lucius's private study, rummaged through his documents, opened his correspondence, seen what she wasn't meant to see, and deprived him of the opportunity to read it.

He was going to kill her.

_No_, she thought quickly, _no. He isn't going to kill me. He may be furious, he may throw me in the cellar and never speak to me again..._ Without realizing it, she began hyperventilating. What was she going to do!? What _would _Lucius do when he realized what she'd done?

She stared at his desk and tried to think of how to rectify the situation, but no solution came to her that didn't include running away, which was completely childish to say the least.

Obviously, the letter was only meant to be read once – by the person to whom it had been addressed. Narcissa knew instinctively that it could not be reconstructed using a simple repairing spell, but as she had no other ideas at the moment... She took out her wand from her sleeve and pointed it at the pile of ashes. "_Reparo!_" she said hopefully.

Nothing. She stood up, letting the ashes fall to the floor, and threw her wand down on the desk miserably before noticing a strange sensation in her fingers and toes. Looking down at her hands, she realized that the tips of her fingers had turned a greenish black, and what had begun as tingling was now turning into a sharp pain. Narcissa watched as the blackness spread from the tips of her fingers up to the knuckles.

Panicking, she grabbed her wand, fumbling a bit, but couldn't think of a single spell that would help her! Her fingers were now completely black, and she could feel it moving in her feet as well. Her flesh began to ooze slightly where the color had turned, and a foul odor reached her senses. With horror, Narcissa realized that her body was rotting away, and at an alarming pace. She dropped her wand as all feeling went out of her hands, and she began to scream.

The rot was traveling faster now, moving up her arms and legs. She could no longer stand up, as her lower legs were useless and in terrible pain, and she fell backwards, hoping to land in the chair, but missed and hit the floor. Shrieking hysterically, Narcissa tried to remember anything that could help her, but all she could do was think of what would happen when the decay reached her torso...

The greenish ooze was now up past her elbows and knees, and to make matters worse, her vision was starting to blur. Dark spots appeared in front of her eyes and she thought she saw some movement in front of her...

Suddenly, the pain began to ebb. Her screams quieted to shaken sobs, and she opened her eyes, feeling the decay reverse its direction. Narcissa watched her hands until healthy color had been restored all the way to her fingertips. Finally, she looked up.

Lucius was standing near the doorway with his wand still pointed at her, dressed in his Death Eater robes. The look on his face was unlike any she had ever seen before, and for the first time that she could remember, Narcissa was truly afraid of her husband.

Stalking toward her, a red-faced Lucius shoved his wand into his pocket, his eyes never leaving hers. Narcissa shrank back as he approached, but he leaned down and grabbed her suddenly by the hair, yanking her upwards. "You are a stupid, stupid girl, Narcissa Malfoy," he growled in a voice she did not recognize. Scrambling to her feet as he pulled harder, she began blubbering uncontrollably. She hadn't meant for any of this to happen... Lucius had no pity. He yanked her head back so she was looking at him. "Stop your sniveling!" he shouted directly in her face, then shoved her into his big leather chair. Shaking and raw, she crumpled over.

"What did the letter say, Narcissa?" he demanded.

In all the commotion of the past few minutes, Narcissa realized, she had completely forgotten the contents of the letter. "I..." Lucius needed to know the contents of that letter, or there would be grave repercussions for him. She couldn't tell him that she didn't remember – he would hurt her, he would punish her... Crying harder, she stammered, "I, I think... It was about a prophecy, it said something like..." She gulped, trying to remember more. "It was from Avery," she offered.

Lucius made a snide noise. "Of course it was, that's why you're alive." He paced around the chair like an interrogator. "Had the letter been from Macnair, you would have strangled yourself with your own bare hands. There would have been no screaming." This information only made her feel sicker. "We are not leaving this room until I know every single detail of that letter, so you'd better start thinking," he said mercilessly.

Narcissa felt too weak to even nod. What had the letter said? She tried and tried, but could not remember the details of the letter. "It was about the prophecy... it was about getting it..." Lucius made intensely displeased faces every time she spoke. "It... Lucius, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." she sobbed. She wished she could take it all back.

"Concentrate!" he said sharply. "Stop your bawling and think!"

"I can't," she cried hopelessly, sinking into despair.

Lucius grabbed her arm roughly and made her sit up straight. "Try," he growled.

Unfortunately, the combination of hysteria and alcohol made it impossible for Narcissa to control herself. She just shook her head, hiccuping with sobs. Suddenly, Lucius slapped her across the face, looking angrier than ever. When she continued to cry, he hit her again. "I have to know, Narcissa," he said, his voice a low roar. "I can't just go ask Avery what he wrote me, because I'm fairly certain that THE DARK LORD would see it as a clear BETRAYAL if he knew that you were intercepting my letters!"

He paced around the room a few times as she continued to bawl, before he came back over to her. He grabbed her arms, forcing her to look at him. Trying a new tactic, Lucius's voice grew very calm. "Narcissa," he said quietly, _almost_ sympathetically, "Look at me." Frightened, but trying to cooperate, Narcissa met his gaze. "You remember opening the letter, don't you?" he asked.

She nodded.

Lucius took a deep breath. "I'm going to try to see it," he told her, taking out his wand.

Narcissa couldn't stop herself from pointing out, "But you're rubbish at Legilmency, Lucius."

Her husband made a very irritated face, but quickly smoothed his expression. "Yes, well, I'm going to try," he said through his teeth. "If you cooperate, it should be fairly easy." Lucius pointed his wand toward her and said, "_Legilimens!_"

The memory lifted to the surface of Narcissa's thoughts... She'd opened the letter, looked at it... _Broderick Bode_..._an Unspeakable_... Unspeakables worked in the Department of Mysteries, she thought. Prophecies were kept in that department, too, weren't they? Realizing that she was distracted, Narcissa tried to concentrate on the letter. _You are free to proceed as planned_, it had said. The memory was fuzzy, it began to waver...

Suddenly she was face to face with Lucius again. He was looking at her seriously. "Was that all of it?" he asked.

Narcissa was almost certain that there had been more. She replied slowly, "I... think so."

Lucius was clearly struggling to remain calm. "How can you not be sure? It wasn't that long ago that you read it, Narcissa."

Closing her eyes, Narcissa tried very hard to remember. There had been another part... _Dumbledore_... "Dumbledore," she said suddenly. "Dumbledore has people... watching, or guarding, or something like that."

Her husband regarded her very seriously, taking this in. "And that's all of it?"

She nodded.

Lucius stood up straight again, his eyes narrowing slightly. "So, let's review this, shall we?" Narcissa stared up at him through teary eyes. "You drank yourself stupid. Broke into – "

"I'm not drunk!" Narcissa declared insistently.

"Yes, and I'm not a Death Eater," Lucius mocked her. "You broke into my study. Went through my private, confidential documents," he indicated the drawers. "Opened a letter that was delivered to my private study for my eyes only, and read it." She couldn't stand his accusing gaze any longer and looked away. "You fully intended to lie to me about the entire thing, but the letter inconveniently disintegrated. Being clever, though, you attempted to reverse a very powerful, thorough curse, and ended up nearly getting killed."

Her blotchy cheeks may as well have been rivers. "That's not fair. You've been hiding this from me for weeks."

"My orders from the Dark Lord are not subject to your approval!" Lucius snarled.

"But you can't – "

He did not take kindly to her interruption. "Shut your mouth, Narcissa!" Guilt and anger built up inside of her, but she did not act on either of them. "Have you no respect for me whatsoever?" Lucius demanded.

She just stared at the ground, wishing she could get away from him.

"Well? What possibly prompted you to do this? Do you have no respect for the Dark Lord?"

Narcissa looked up at him. How could he suggest...? "Lucius, I just..."

"You just _disgust_ me," he finished for her, nastily. "I ought to whip you." His voice carried such anger that she believed he could deliver on that threat.

Trepidation filled her heart. "Don't you think that nearly dying was punishment enough?" she whimpered.

Lucius grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her roughly to her feet, up against him. "I _should_, but I won't," he growled, ignoring her question. He pushed her away roughly. "Get out of my sight."

Narcissa was only too happy to comply.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hours later, Lucius paced back and forth in front of the fireplace in his study, still unable to believe the way this evening had panned out. Never in a thousand years would he have guessed that Narcissa would open his private mail. Going into his study and snooping around without really touching anything... that he could see. But for her to have the _nerve_ to open a letter meant for him... He shook his head angrily. For her to blatantly defy him like that, without thought to the consequences! He sorely hoped that she had relayed the contents of the letter accurately. Lucius couldn't afford to fail the Dark Lord, not on an operation of this importance.

His thoughts returned to his wife. The dread, the horrible panic that had taken hold of him when he'd entered the Manor and heard her screams... the thought of it made his stomach churn. If he had not arrived when he did... Lucius closed his eyes. She had only been a few seconds away from death.

And when he had realized what she'd done... Oh, Narcissa had really gotten off easy. He had not an ounce of repentance for what he'd done to her. In fact, he'd never been more angry with her in his entire life. A little slap in the face and a little tug on her hair – he'd wanted to do so much more. Lucius had wanted to _really _hurt her. If Narcissa had been the wife of any other Malfoy, she'd have been bedridden for a week. And she'd deserve it.

Lucius stopped pacing and stared into the fire. The voice inside his head sounded distinctly like that of his father. But he was not like his father; he would never treat Narcissa in such a way... _One day you'll come to your senses and realize that women only respect their husbands if they are forced to_. He felt his chest constrict slightly, and he clasped a hand over his mouth. Abraxas Malfoy was last the last person in the world that Lucius wanted to emulate.

A sob rose in his chest, but Lucius pushed it down with all his strength, refusing to let himself cry. _If you let her speak that way now, you'll never get control of her again_, his father's voice echoed in his mind. Lucius shook his head, remembering the few weeks during their engagement when Narcissa had been irritated with him. She had (foolishly) talked back to him in front of Father, who could not believe that Lucius hadn't backhanded her then and there.

_I am not like him_, Lucius told himself vehemently. He did not want to injure Narcissa, he merely wanted to punish her, to make her realize the immensity of what she had done. Getting drunk and betraying the Dark Lord... He wasn't sure which was worse. If there was one thing Lucius Malfoy could not stand, it was drunken women. Their already overly-sensitive emotions just flooded over in torrents, and all common sense went straight to hell.

Lucius leaned against the mantle, gazing into the flames. As much as he would like to, he knew he couldn't blame the alcohol for Narcissa's actions. She had betrayed his trust, and she had known what she was doing.

So he shouldn't feel sorry, damn it! Lucius pushed away from the mantle and began pacing again. Cissa had gotten what she deserved. He hadn't hurt her. All he had done was scare her, which would hopefully control her urge to meddle in the future.

Besides, Lucius needed to be concentrating on the mission at hand. He glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner, and was startled – it was nearly six in the morning. If he was going to catch Bode at the Ministry, he needed to be there in two hours.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Narcissa awoke from her very light sleep, the first thing she realized was that it was still dark out, and the second was that she had a terrible headache. In spite of these things, she sat up, feeling exhausted and sore all over. The bedclothes on Lucius's side were perfectly smooth. He mustn't have come to bed. Unsurprised, she glanced over at the clock on the mantle. It was ten minutes to six.

Narcissa leaned over to the bedside table, grabbing her wand and a tumbler. "_Aguamenti_," she said, filling the cup with water. Her mouth was terribly dry, and so she took a rather unladylike gulp.

The doorknob suddenly turned, and she nearly choked on the water. Opening the door slowly, Lucius entered, clearly trying not to wake her. His expression upon finding her awake was one of surprise, but he quickly covered it, adopting a brusque expression. Without speaking, he grabbed his robe from its hook, and went into the lavatory.

So he wasn't speaking to her. Narcissa leaned back into her pillows, placing the cup on the table. At least he wasn't shouting anymore.

She could not rid herself of the sick feeling in her stomach. It was mostly a product of guilt. A part of her wanted to throw herself at Lucius's feet and beg him for forgiveness. It had been a stupid idea to rummage through his things; of course he was angry with her. Narcissa had never seen him so angry, ever. She hoped never to see him that angry again. She was frightened of what he would do and say when he emerged from the lavatory. Would he shout at her again? Would he hit her? He had no right to be striking her like that. Never before had he treated her that way; when they were younger he would never have dreamed of laying a hand on her. On one or two more recent occasions he'd slapped her, but those had been gentle in comparison to last night. What on earth was making him react so violently, of late?

Since she was unable to fall asleep again, Narcissa slipped off the bed and went over to her vanity. The reflection she saw in the mirror was a mess. Eye makeup was streaked down her cheeks, her hair was tangled into knots. More to pass the time than anything, Narcissa set to work fixing up her appearance.

When Lucius reappeared, Narcissa was still at her vanity, though most of the tangles in her hair were gone. Her husband went over to their wardrobe silently, completely ignoring her. Watching him in her mirror, she saw him pull out a set of his better robes, and begin to dress. Narcissa was unable to bear the silence, and finally turned toward him. "Did you sleep at all?" she asked timidly.

Lucius raised his head at the sound of her voice, but did not turn to face her, and began buttoning his robes. "No," he replied tersely.

Narcissa knew that he only wore those robes when he was going out, or when they had dinner guests. "Lucius, where are you going?" she inquired softly.

He turned to look at her with a disdainful expression. "I have things to attend to, as you are well aware."

She was slightly puzzled. If it had anything to do with Broderick Bode and that prophecy, wouldn't it be in the Department of Mysteries? "At the Ministry? But it's Sunday," Narcissa said.

Lucius froze for a moment, staring at her. Then with a huff, he turned back to the wardrobe, unbuttoning his cuffs.

Allowing herself a little smirk, Narcissa stood and picked up Lucius's folded nightshirt off the table. "Here," she said quietly. "You should get some rest."

Her husband looked down his nose at her. "I am quite capable of deciding these things for myself, Narcissa," he replied coldly. "I'll thank you to keep your opinions to yourself."

Hurt, Narcissa shoved the nightshirt into his hands and walked away. The last time Lucius had spoken to her in _that_ tone was after Abraxas Malfoy had berated him for being so "primitive" with his fiancé. (Lucius and Narcissa had been kissing, rather chastely, in the drawing room. Alone.)

It was a mistake to show her defiance, though, because Lucius turned and took several steps toward her, clearly displeased. Narcissa flinched involuntarily, preparing herself for his anger. As he continued to approach her, his expression changed to one of distress. "Narcissa," he said, reaching for her arms.

She shrank away from his touch, regretting having spoken to him at all. She should have just shut up...

When Lucius managed to get a hold of her, though, his grip was much gentler than she had expected. "Don't do that," he said quietly.

Narcissa looked up at him, completely confused, but afraid to say anything. "I didn't mean to..." What exactly had she done, again? "I don't know what you mean."

He was studying her face with concern, obviously deciding what to say. "I'm not going to hit you, Cissa," he told her finally, trying to keep his tone cool.

She suddenly understood, and defiance flooded into the space previously occupied with fear. "Is that a promise?" she asked.

Lucius glared at her. "I won't hit you without a good reason," he amended.

"Ah," Narcissa said frostily. "How noble of you."

For several long moments, Lucius glowered at her angrily. Narcissa stared back at him with a defiant look in her eyes, but in actuality her stomach was twisting itself into nervous knots. Eventually, though, he merely released her and turned away. "I want your word that you will speak of this to no one," he said without facing her.

"You mean, about the letter?" she clarified.

Lucius looked at her. "I mean about everything. Everything that has transpired in the last twelve hours. I want your word."

She nodded slowly. "All right. Even if only for you to save face," she added.

He gave her a contemptuous look. "Believe me, Cissy, there is much more to it than that."

* * *

_A/N: Reviews make the world go round... and such. :)_


	6. Chapter 6

Striding with his usual dignity but feeling rather jumpy, Lucius headed toward the lift in the Ministry of Magic. Adrenaline was the cause of his jitters, not anxiety. The Dark Lord had chosen him for this mission because of his skill with the Imperius Curse, and Lucius was fully confident in his own ability.

Lucius frequented the various floors of the Ministry enough to remember that Broderick Bode was the sickly-looking wizard who came into work at eight o'clock on the dot, every single workday. If Lucius took the lift down to the Department of Mysteries at 7:58...

...And sure enough, Bode stepped into the lift after him. No one else was waiting for the lift, either; perhaps this would be easier than Lucius had predicted!

Unfortunately, at the last minute a dumpy little witch sprang between the closing doors with more agility than Lucius had expected. _No worries_, he told himself. _She'll probably get off before our floor_. Neither Bode nor the witch paid Lucius any heed as they sped downward. Floor after floor went by, and frustration boiled in Lucius when she did not exit. Finally, to his relief, she waddled off at the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.

Lucius felt for his wand in his pocket as the doors closed behind her. Pulling it carefully out without too much movement, he backed up slightly, so that he wasn't in Bode's peripheral vision. Concentrating, Lucius pointed his wand at him. "_Imperio!_" he said, quietly but forcefully.

Immediately, Lucius knew the curse had worked, for he could hear Bode's consciousness speaking quietly in his own mind. The man must know that something had happened, but he seemed to be accepting it so far.

_Go to work_, Lucius ordered him wordlessly, concealing his wand in his robes. The lift doors opened and a cool female voice announced, "Department of Mysteries." Lucius exited the lift and watched Bode leave, assured by the complacent look on his face that he was fully under control.

Lucius headed for the lavatory. It was not his hiding place of choice, but he was most confident of his privacy there. He went into one of the stalls and waited. Bode's thoughts seemed content. Lucius could tell that the man had arrived at his workplace, for he had stopped thinking. _Go to the Hall of Prophecy_, Lucius commanded. Once again, Bode followed the order without question.

_I have to go to the Hall of Prophecy_, Lucius heard him think. This thought repeated itself for several minutes. Lucius would have liked to tune it out, but he dared not lose his concentration, just in case Bode started fighting for some reason. But he needn't have worried. _I'm in the Hall of Prophecy_, the thought announced cheerfully.

_Go to row 97 and take the prophecy about Harry Potter_, Lucius ordered.

Suddenly, Bode's thoughts were not so contented. _I can't do that_, Bode's voice said.

Lucius felt a nervous twinge, but commanded firmly, _Take the prophecy concerning Harry Potter_.

_I can't do that, I won't do that_, Bode's voice echoed.

Now anxious, Lucius closed his eyes in concentration. _Go to row 97, NOW_.

_I can't... I have to... I have to go to row 97..._

Lucius let out the breath he'd been holding, but did not let himself get distracted.

_I'm... at row 97..._

_Take the prophecy about Harry Potter and the Dark Lord._

_I want to take... I... I can't... I mustn't... I can't take it._

_You WILL take the prophecy._

_I mustn't take that!_

_You want to take it_, Lucius told him consolingly.

_I...._

_You HAVE to take it_, Lucius warned him. Sweat dripped down his face, and he forced himself to remain calm.

_I..._

_TAKE IT!_

_I... must..._

Suddenly, there was a maddening explosion of thought from Bode, so loud and disturbing that Lucius was frightened. He tried to make sense of what was happening, but all he could hear and think was noise...

_BRING ME THE PROPHECY_, he tried to tell Bode, but the noise drowned him out.

A swirling sensation went through his mind, and Lucius fell against the wall. Having no choice, he broke off the curse.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Narcissa had been curled up in a chair near the fireplace ever since Lucius had left early this morning. Since the episode Saturday night, Lucius had been very cold toward her, but she could hardly blame him. Certainly, Narcissa had the luxury of a husband who loved her and spoiled her rotten most of the time, but she was still subject to the rules of propriety. She had disobeyed her husband, and that was just not proper.

She wished, though, that Lucius would at least let her explain.

Narcissa's ruminations were interrupted by a sound from downstairs. Jumping up immediately, she hurried into the hall to find out what had happened. She wasn't sure, but in all likelihood Lucius had "proceeded as planned" this morning, as he had been ordered. Could he have been hurt?

The sound was definitely a voice, she realized once she was in the hall. Lucius's voice. "Narcissa!"

She hurried down the stairs, and found her husband in the entrance hall of the manor, looking very unwell. "Lucius, what's wrong?"

Lucius put his hands on her shoulders, and seemed to be having trouble focusing his eyes on her. "I'm not... entirely sure," he answered weakly. He swayed slightly.

Narcissa immediately pulled him toward the drawing room, putting an arm around his torso. "Come sit," she said urgently. Lucius went without resistance. Narcissa led him to the love seat, easing him down gently. "What can I do for you?" Her husband seemed weak, ill.

He closed his eyes. "I failed to get the prophecy," Lucius said quietly.

Acute nausea clamped down on Narcissa's stomach, and a mixture of fear and anger began brewing. "Does the Dark Lord know?" If He had hurt her husband, she was not going to stand for it. Lucius was certainly not to blame for whatever had gone wrong on this mission.

Opening his eyes, Lucius looked up at her from his slumped position and nodded. "He knows, and He was not happy. But He didn't do this to me," he answered the implied question. Narcissa breathed a bit easier, but still felt ill.

Lucius winced, and Narcissa grabbed his arms gently. "What hurts, darling? What can I do?" She rubbed his upper arms lightly, not sure how to help him. Lucius was looking off in another direction, blinking oddly.

"I don't think there is anything you _can_ do," he told her, opening and closing his eyes a few times.

Narcissa was burning to ask him how this had happened, but she knew it would not be wise to pry into his business again, especially not this soon. She was completely at a loss for what to do, but Lucius's arms were suddenly around her, awkwardly pulling her close to him. "He isn't blaming me yet, Cissa," Lucius said. "I was sure he'd blame me, and ...hurt you." Her husband kissed her cheek.

Remembering the Dark Lord's threat, Narcissa tensed. Surely it was no fault of hers that Lucius's mission had failed, but the Dark Lord did not always see things her way. Rather than dwell on these unpleasant thoughts, Narcissa urged him, "Come upstairs and lie down."

Surprisingly, Lucius submitted to her without argument, allowing her to help him up the stairs. For most of the day he lay in bed, resting but not sleeping. By the time it was evening, Narcissa could tell he was recovering, because he grew less pathetic and more shrewd. "You're sure that you did not forget any part of Avery's letter?"

For the third time, Narcissa replied, "I'm certain. The only warning in the letter was that Dumbledore's Order might be guarding it."

Lucius was sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard. Relieved that he did not press the matter any further, Narcissa sat on the edge of the bed, facing him. For the entire day she had bitten her tongue, refusing to give in to her intense curiosity, but at last she had to succumb. "Please... will you tell me what happened?" she asked.

He considered her for a moment. "I am unsure what happened," Lucius admitted quietly.

Desperate for more details, Narcissa pressed him, "But how can that be? Surely you didn't forget the entire ordeal?"

She could not tell if she'd gone too far, judging by his expression. He was staring at her, but his eyes weren't really focused. Narcissa decided that she should not have asked. They were just barely on speaking terms again, and now it seemed that they were back to the silent treatment. Trying not to let this bother her, she began to rise.

"I put Bode under the Imperius Curse," Lucius said suddenly, breaking the silence. Narcissa sat back down, taking in every word. "Everything went fine, until I tried to make him take the prophecy. Then he fought me, he was flat out refusing, but I managed to make him do it. But then..." he trailed off. "I don't know what happened. He stopped making sense, and it was so loud... I had to break off the curse." He leaned forward, becoming more distressed. "I don't know what happened to him, Cissa. Whatever it was must have Confunded him or something, otherwise they'd have me under arrest already, for he surely knows that I cast the spell. Unless he is dead..."

Agitated, Lucius moved to get up, but Narcissa stopped him. "Don't, darling, you need to rest."

He retorted, "I've been resting all day."

Narcissa was not about to let him work himself up into a frenzy, regardless of whether or not Bode could implicate him in the crime. Being that the incident had taken place hours ago and the Ministry had not placed Lucius under arrest, Narcissa's primary concern was for her own well-being. "Pacing around is not going to help anything, Lucius; it will only upset you." He still tried to get up, and she begged him, "Please."

Lucius grudgingly leaned back against the pile of pillows. Narcissa was relieved. The last thing she wanted at this point was another night of him screaming at her. His temper always tended to surface when he was upset, and she was not interested in continuing his new trend of violent outbursts.

How had it come to this? Why was she walking on eggshells with her husband of over twenty years? Life under the Dark Lord's regime was not supposed to be like this. Wasn't it supposed to be a glorious new world for all of them? It would not be so for her, if this was how Lucius was going to react under its pressures.

She felt his hand grasp hers and looked up. He was looking at her with those steel gray eyes she'd always found so attractive. "Cissa... I don't want it to be like this," Lucius told her. Apparently, he had felt and disliked the tension between them as well.

Narcissa felt her eyes tearing up, but blinked it back. "I haven't been the best wife, of late," she admitted, "but I don't think either of us have handled it very well."

Lucius was silent for a few moments before leaning forward again. "I want your trust, Cissa," he said. "That is the root of the problem, I fear."

Disbelief flooded her. Here she was, trying to patch things up by admitting her faults, and he was blaming her completely?

Before Narcissa could muster a response, a rush of green flames appeared in the fireplace, followed by a holler of, "Are you out, or just ignoring me?!"

The two Malfoys exchanged a glance, and Lucius drew his wand to allow the visitor through. Bellatrix marched immediately out of the fire, leaving a trail of soot behind her. "What are you doing in bed at this hour?" she asked Lucius bluntly.

Still hurting intensely from her discussion with Lucius, Narcissa snapped, "You know damned well why, Bella."

"My my," Bellatrix cooed, not about to take sass from her baby sister. "I would mind my tone, if I were you."

"What do you want?" Narcissa demanded. Her older sister could not just show up whenever she pleased and expect a warm welcome.

Unfortunately, Lucius was not on her side. "Narcissa," he said sharply.

Being that she was amongst family, Narcissa was tempted to argue with the both of them. Lucius's stare, however, convinced her to simply fix them both with a scowl.

Lucius pointed his wand to his robe and said, "_Accio_." As he rose from bed and closed the robe over his nightshirt, he said, "I take it you heard what happened."

Bellatrix leaned against the wall in a very unladylike manner. "That and more," she replied.

Urgently, Lucius came closer to her. "What happened to Bode?"

"Gone mad," Bella said matter-of-factly. "Lucky for you, he thinks he's a teapot."

"But how?" Lucius asked. "Was it the Order?"

Bellatrix shook her head, but then looked over at Narcissa, who was sitting, forgotten, on the bed. "Should you really be hearing this?"

Feeling betrayed by both of them, Narcissa was fighting not to cry. "Why not, I know enough already," she said defensively.

"And what's that mean, then?" Bellatrix walked over to her sister, looking down at her suspiciously.

Lucius glared at Narcissa warningly.

"Well," she began weakly, "you just said that Bode thinks he's a teapot." Narcissa was thinking fast, trying to cover her slip-up. "Something like that is bound to be in the Prophet, and from that I'll be able to deduce all sorts of things, won't I?"

Her sister pursed her lips. "Perhaps." Bella seemed mistrusful of Narcissa's excuse, but turned back to Lucius. "Rookwood arrived back from Bulgaria a few hours ago. He used to work in the Department of Mysteries, you know." Lucius nodded, hoping she would get to the point quickly. "Apparently, prophecies can only be taken by those about whom they were made. If anyone else tries to touch one, they'll go mad."

So that's why Bode fought against the curse. Lucius relaxed slightly, glad to be safe for at least the time being. "So Bode doesn't even remember what happened."

Bellatrix smirked. "He doesn't even know he's human."

Lucius's expression remained serious. "That idiot Avery insisted all this would work," he said darkly.

"Not to worry. The Dark Lord took care of him," Bella replied, a sort of grim satisfaction in her voice.

Relieved to hear that he would not be receiving the brunt of the Dark Lord's anger, Lucius sank into one of the armchairs by the fire. "Good," he said brusquely. "He could've gotten me killed." Count on Avery to make stupid mistakes that would endanger other people. He'd save his own neck, but everyone else could just go to hell for all he cared. "I trust he is no longer in charge of the mission?"

Bella looked at Lucius as if he were an idiot. "Of course. You think after _that_ the Dark Lord would trust him?" Her dark eyes glanced over at Narcissa for a moment before stepping closer to Lucius. "Rookwood seems to be in charge now, since he has the most experience in that Department," she informed him, keeping her voice quieter than usual.

Bellatrix was obviously not too keen on Narcissa hearing their conversation. A few days ago Lucius would have felt the same way, but the weeks of fighting were taking their toll on him. He felt badly for keeping Narcissa in the dark, since it was obviously bothering her so much. More than anything, Lucius was tired of feeling guilty, for his wife had a gift for making him feel miserably regretful.

"Did the Dark Lord send you, Bella?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Just looking out for my dear brother-in-law," she said dryly.

Narcissa made an unladylike noise of sarcasm from across the room.

Knowing that Bellatrix would never take her cue to go, Lucius stood. "Perhaps we can continue this conversation another time," he said to Bella, giving a meaningful glance toward his wife.

Bellatrix nodded, smirking slightly toward Narcissa. "Of course. Sometime when Cissy's not ready to scratch out our eyes, perhaps?" She turned and went to the fireplace, grabbing a handful of floo powder from the bowl on top of the mantle.

"I appreciate you letting me know what's happening, Bella," Lucius said.

Nodding, Bellatrix turned back to face him. "You know," she remarked as she tossed the powder into the fire, making it glow a bright green, "you could change the charm on the chimney so that I could get through."

Lucius met her gaze with a very thin smile. "Indeed."

Bella waited for a few moments expectantly, before uttering, "Right." She turned and stepped into the flames, spoke her destination, and disappeared.

Lucius took a few moments to prepare himself, before turning to face Narcissa. She was sitting with her back to him, gripping the bedclothes tightly in her fists. With a little bit of trepidation, he walked over to her. "Narcissa," he began.

"What?" she answered sharply.

"Don't be like that; come on now," Lucius said, coming around the bed to face her.

Narcissa was beyond her limits of control. Too much was happening, too much was at stake, and too much was being blamed on her. "Why shouldn't I be like this?" she demanded, standing up and stalking to the corner of the room.

"Because it's unbecoming," he replied smoothly, following her.

"And that's all you care about?" Narcissa growled.

Lucius placed his hands on her arms very slowly. "Of course not, darling." His voice was soft, and Narcissa hated him for it.

She felt him standing close behind her, and wanted desperately to yank away from him. Unfortunately, she was too close to the wall, and, as Lucius had reminded her, it would be very unbecoming. Left with very few options, Narcissa chose to remain still.

"Listen to me," his voice said quietly near her ear. "I have no desire to be at odds with you. The past few weeks have been miserable, and I'd like it very much if we could come to an understanding."

Narcissa turned around very suddenly. "An understanding where you go about doing whatever you like, whenever you like, without telling me, and I am expected to submit to your will or be forced to do so, violently if necessary?"

This accusation hit Lucius hard. "No," he said immediately. His cheeks were flushing with emotion, but he tried to keep it out of his voice. "I need your trust, Cissa," Lucius told her, bringing his hands to the sides of her neck. "You want to know what's going on, and I understand that. I will try to tell you as much as I can, but there are certain things that I just can't share with you, for your own safety. And I need you to trust my judgment, regarding that."

It was not what Narcissa wanted to hear, but she knew it was better than nothing. Still, he had not addressed the most important part of her question. She whispered, "And what happens if I can't?"

This was it. Lucius knew he had to apologize, to make her see how truly sorry he was. "Cissa... I know the other night..." He struggled to find words. "That was the very worst of both of us, and it was horrible." He stroked her cheek with his thumb, tracing her jaw. He'd been wrong, so very wrong to hurt her like that... it made him sick to think of it. The further away from the incident he thought about it, the more he viewed himself as a monster. Lucius bit his lip. "I will gladly forget your indiscretions from this weekend, if you would be so kind as to do likewise for me."

That was about as close to an apology as she would ever get out of Lucius. Narcissa wanted to accept, but... ...that did not resolve everything between them, now did it?

Lucius could see the indecision in her eyes. "You want to say something." It was an observation, not a question.

His wife looked up at him with tearful eyes. "I want your promise that I needn't fear such treatment ever again."

He slipped a protective arm around her, holding her against him. "You have it," he murmured sincerely, kissing her forehead.

* * *

_A/N: First of all, I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. Please still love me. :)_

_Second of all, I'm going back to college soon, so chapters may be few and far between. This is going to be the semester from Hell, so I really have to put college before fanfiction. I apologize in advance if this is distressing._

_Third of all, thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing. You are what keeps me going!!  
_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: So, it's been a while... Sorry about that. Thank you so much to anyone still interested in reading this! :)_

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It was over a month before Narcissa found herself privy to any of Lucius's work for the Dark Lord. Her husband purposely avoided the subject, and she did her utmost to respect that silence. There came a point one morning, however, when she opened the Daily Prophet could no longer contain herself.

"Lucius," she said, looking up at him from where she sat on the divan, "Broderick Bode is dead."

A particular question burned on her tongue, but she didn't dare ask it. Besides, she feared she already knew the answer. Her husband's back was turned to her. "I know," he replied quietly, emotionlessly, without turning toward her.

Of course, she had known that her husband was capable of killing. The blood-traitors and mudbloods who stood against the Dark Lord were the enemy, and of course they were destroyed when they got in the way. But the idea of her husband committing such crimes made her skin crawl.

Lucius had turned away from the window and was studying her. That his wife had stopped reading the paper, and was letting her tea sit on the tray and get cold were clear indicators to him that something was amiss. "Are you quite all right?"

She seemed to snap out of a daze. "Of course," she replied with a small, unconvincing smile.

He seated himself next to her. Narcissa avoided his gaze, and he slid a hand to her cheek, turning her toward him. "It had to be done," he said quietly.

Narcissa nodded her understanding, but avoided his eyes. "Yes, but...to lose one's sanity, and then be strangled in a hospital bed by a deadly plant... It's ghastly. Undignified."

Lucius had a hard look in his eyes. "Indeed." He sat up a little straighter. "War is not a pretty thing, Mrs. Malfoy."

"War?" She gave him a sidelong glance, one that he did not appreciate. "This was hardly an act of war."

"On the contrary, that's exactly what it was," he retorted calmly. "Bode possessed information that could be a serious detriment to the Dark Lord, had it fallen into the wrong hands."

Narcissa was not sure why she was getting upset, but had little control in the matter. "The Dark Lord is the most powerful wizard in the world - you cannot tell me that he doesn't know how to permanently wipe someone's memory."

"Of course he does," Lucius responded grimly. "And that's exactly what we did."

She cringed with distaste, shaking her head. "We? No, Lucius, it's you. You are now responsible for the murder of a Ministry official, and a pureblood at that."

Lucius's posture became visibly more rigid, and he regarded her with a mixture of surprise and disapproval. "No," he said coolly, "I am not. The first reason being that Bode was a blood-traitor and unfit to be considered a pureblood. The second reason being that although I am privy to the details of our current mission, I am not always the one carrying out the Dark Lord's wishes. So you needn't worry your pretty little head." He rose smoothly, walking away from her.

Narcissa found herself somewhat relieved by that information, despite the clipped manner in which it had been delivered. She realized that it had been quite an assumption that Lucius was personally responsible for Bode's death, though indirectly he probably still was. She followed her husband, taking him by the elbow.

"Don't be angry with me for worrying," Narcissa said softly. "I'm only concerned for your well-being."

Lucius sniffed slightly. "And your own."

She absorbed the blow quickly, and answered, "Should I not be? We are married, Lucius; our souls have been intertwined. If you choose to be careless with your soul it affects me."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I will do what I must do, Narcissa." He turned his head slightly to look at her directly. "And you will do the same." He raised his eyebrows. "Won't you?"

Narcissa slowly nodded. "Within reason," she added.

Lucius smirked slightly. "Of course you will," he said, pulling her toward him to kiss her forehead.

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Lucius could hardly keep from hexing his dear brother-in-law, Rodolphus, as the man rambled on and on about the the great power of the Dark Lord, and how he would be able to overcome any security measures surrounding the Department of Mysteries at night.

Contrary to Rodolphus's statements, however, were these simple facts: it would be well nigh impossible for the Dark Lord to enter the Hall of Prophecy, and there was very little that they could do about it.

"That's all very well, Rodolphus, but should something go wrong, I would be trapped in the belly of the Ministry. Since I cannot trust all of you to be free from mistakes..." the Dark Lord looked pointedly at Avery, "...such a plan cannot be put into action."

Lucius felt his frustration boiling. The mission at hand was impossible, but unfortunately, that was not an acceptable conclusion for the Dark Lord. Lucius had been certain that his influence with the Ministry would be a great asset to this mission, but it was proving useless. They needed the Dark Lord to take the prophecy, but many of the security measures were set to trigger specifically by the Dark Lord's presence.

The Dark Lord was certain that the key to defeating Harry Potter was contained in that prophecy. Which made it of the utmost importance that they retrieve it. But it could only be retrieved by either the Dark Lord, or by Harry Potter. And both possibilities were completely impossible.

Or were they? Yes, it seemed completely impossible for the Dark Lord to retrieve it, so that left only one option, didn't it? It was a ludicrous, suggesting that the enemy himself retrieve the prophecy for them, but since their only other option had very little hope for success, and that hope was fading fast...

"My lord," Lucius spoke up. "Perhaps we are coming at the situation from the wrong angle."

The Dark Lord turned his gaze to Lucius. "And what do you suggest, Lucius?"

His stomach jumped a little at being the center of attention, but he answered smoothly, "It seems to me that we have but one option." He swallowed, knowing the absurdity of what he was about to say. "Harry Potter must retrieve the prophecy."

Rodolphus and several of the others snickered at this statement, but the Dark Lord looked at him steadily. "Go on."

Lucius thought quickly. "If we could deceive the boy into thinking he was retrieving it for the Order -"

"The Order is guarding the Hall of Prophecy as it is. You think that he wouldn't mention the mission to any actual members of the Order?" Rodolphus asked.

"Then we must remove his ability to communicate with the Order," Lucius answered swiftly.

"And how would we do that, when we don't know who's in it?" Mulciber chimed in.

"We have suspects," Lucius retorted.

Mulciber leaned forward. "We need to be operating on more than suspicion, Malfoy."

The Dark Lord held up a hand, and the two fell silent. "Mulciber is right," he said softly. "We cannot afford to make mistakes." Lucius grimaced inwardly, ready to explode with frustration.

"However," the snake-like wizard continued, "You are on to something, my friend. Harry Potter is deceived easily enough; it is with those around him that we must concern ourselves. His contact with the Order must be cut off."

Lucius nodded. A warm seed of pride blossomed in his chest - here was his specialty. "My lord, the Ministry has made Dolores Umbridge the High Inquisitor at Hogwarts, for the express purpose of rooting out unsatisfactory teachers. Fudge wants to be rid of those who publicize your return to power. It could easily be used -"

"To our purpose," the Dark Lord finished for him. He seemed pleased. "See that it is."

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_A/N: Please R&R! Also, if you're interested, I've started a new Malfoy story, "After the Fall." Check it out!_


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